OZZFEST: Pay To Play?

April 12, 2002

The following item was published in today's edition of New York Daily News:

You would think having a hit show on MTV would be enough for Ozzy Osbourne. But the outrageous rocker wants more money, too.

For his upcoming Ozzfest summer tour, the 53-year-old former BLACK SABBATH frontman and his wife and manager, Sharon, are charging bands $75,000 to participate. Word is, the hefty admission charge is irking performers — like P.O.D., SYSTEM OF A DOWN and ROB ZOMBIE (who just replaced RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) — who have been lining up for the tour.

Some industry insiders even speculate that the unprecedented fee proves that Ozzy's MTV show, The Osbournes, has gone to his head. But Sharon Osbourne tells us that "in the past, some tours have requested cash payments and points on new bands' CDs. No one has complained to me, and we don't force anyone to pay." She points to the list of bands Ozzfest has broken, such as LIMP BIZKIT and INCUBUS.

"We put new talent in front of an average of 22,000 people a day, and that is unprecedented," Sharon says.

She is quick to add that "this has nothing to do with Ozzy. This is my business decision, and the money goes to my face-lift fund."

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